Augusta Truck Accident Lawyer
Truck crashes can be scary, damaging, and overwhelming.
If you are beside or behind a truck on the road, there is a good chance the truck driver cannot see you. Unfortunately, a truck driver’s inability to see you comes with a high risk of serious injury or even death.
If you have been seriously injured in a truck wreck, you should contact an experienced Augusta truck accident attorney to protect your right to fair compensation.
Call (706) 354-4000 or send us an online message for a free consultation to learn how we can help you.
If you have catastrophic injuries from a truck crash or your loved one was killed in a crash with a semi-truck, call us 24/7 and speak to an attorney. If it’s after hours or on a weekend or holiday, hit the prompt to speak to a live person and tell the receptionist you have serious injuries from a truck crash and would like to speak to an attorney immediately. They will patch you through to one of our skilled truck accident lawyers.
Truck Accidents Are a Big Problem in Georgia
Georgia has recently been one of the 10 states with the highest average of fatal large truck and bus crashes. Nationwide, large truck crashes injured 160,000 people in 2019, and they killed 5,005.
Whether you lost a loved one in a truck wreck or the negligent practices of a truck driver led to your injuries, the results were likely devastating.
Experienced Augusta truck accident lawyers can help you hold the right people accountable for the damages they caused.
What Are Common Injuries in Truck Crashes?
A commercial truck can weigh more than 26,000 pounds and could be carrying hazardous materials.
The large size and speed of a commercial truck can cause many different injuries in an Augusta accident including:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal injury
- Injury to the lower limbs
- Amputations
- Deep lacerations
- Poisoning from hazardous materials
- Mental trauma
- Death
These injuries can affect many parts of your life, including your wage-earning capacity, your quality of life, and your financial stability.
What Makes Augusta Truck Accident Cases Different?
Commercial truck drivers in Augusta, GA must have a commercial driver’s license (CDL). CDL drivers have a long list of rules and regulations they must follow compared to the average driver. These include rules about regular medical testing to maintain a CDL and strict schedules for alcohol consumption.
These additional regulations have been implemented to keep other drivers safe when they share the roadway with large trucks, but they also may increase the probability of proving a truck driver or trucking company failed to use due diligence.
The rules do not apply to all commercial vehicle drivers. For example, farmers driving large vehicles to transport farm machinery within 150 miles of their farms do not need commercial driver’s licenses.
If you have an unfortunate encounter with an 18-wheeler in a rural area, you may not be able to pin a regulation violation on that rural driver. There are also exceptions for emergency responders, military drivers, and snow removers. An experienced August commercial truck accident attorney knows which rules apply to your case, so they can help you get maximum recovery.
What Kind of Recovery Can You Receive After a Truck Crash?
There are many options for recovery in a truck crash case. An experienced truck accident injury lawyer in Augusta can help you explore all your options and develop the appropriate evidence.
Economic Damages
In a truck collision, you may be able to recover all necessary expenses related to the crash. This may include your medical bills, lost wages, bills to replace or repair your vehicle, home modifications, etc. You should gather all medical receipts, work schedules, and invoices related to the crash to help determine your accident-related expenses.
You may also be entitled to future expenses for wage losses, medical needs, and impairment. An attorney can walk you through these calculations so you know what to expect from litigation or settlement.
Non-Economic Damages
Georgia law allows damages for pain and suffering. At trial, the award of such damages comes from the “enlightened consciences of impartial jurors.” Pain and suffering are hard to reduce to a dollar amount, but they are important. An experienced Augusta truck accident lawyer can help you determine a just amount for your pain and suffering.
Punitive Damages
Lastly, you may have the right to recover punitive damages if the truck driver’s actions were egregious. Punitive damages may be awarded as a way to deter the defendant from engaging in similar conduct in the future.
You must prove your right to punitive damages by clear and convincing evidence, which is a higher standard of proof than what is required in a normal negligence case. An experienced Augusta injury attorney understands the different standards of proof to recover damages in your case, and they can help you meet those standards.
There Are Limits to the Amount of Your Recovery
You cannot recover damages in a truck wreck if you are 50% or more responsible for the wreck. Additionally, Georgia law reduces what you can recover by your percentage of fault.
For example, large trucks have blind spots, and a court may find you 50% or more liable for a wreck if you were driving in a truck’s blind spot at the time of the collision. A truck accident attorney has the resources to work with professionals who can perform an accident reconstruction of your wreck and determine all the factors that diminish your level of fault.
Georgia’s statute of limitations to file a truck crash lawsuit is typically two years, and four years to make a claim for property damage. Under either claim, you must mitigate your losses. This means you should have your vehicle repaired and seek medical treatment as soon as possible, regardless of whether the at-fault party pays.
You must act quickly to preserve your rights to recovery, and your injuries may slow you down. Hiring an attorney is your best option for fulfilling the deadlines in your case.
Contact an Augusta Truck Accident Attorney
The attorneys at Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley, P.C., are aggressive advocates for your rights. We have a robust truck collision practice, and we have been litigating since 1984. Our efforts to serve the Georgia community are strong, and we have experience in many areas of the law to thoroughly help you with all your legal needs.
Contact us at (706) 354-4000 or fill out our contact form and tell us more about your potential case. We handle truck crash cases in Augusta and across Georgia. There is no cost unless we recover money for you in your case.